WHEREAS, America is confronting a myriad of challenges facing our transportation
system; and

WHEREAS, demand for transportation services is increasing, and it is critical that we
develop a strategy for new investments in our nation's physical infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, many areas in our country are experiencing congested roadways and
railways, severe overcrowding of public transportation vehicles, and gridlock at airports;
and

WHEREAS, adding to the capacity of our roadways, public transportation infrastructure,
airports, railroads, and port facilities will be critical to our ability to sustain strong economic
growth in future years; and

WHEREAS, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) has been
successful in encouraging more efficient investment of federal transportation dollars, and in
providing for greater transportation funding flexibility for meeting the diverse needs of
states and localities; and

WHEREAS, TEA-21 also has strengthened the partnership among federal, state and local
governments, and encouraged the development of multi-modal transportation systems;
and

WHEREAS, TEA-21 has yielded unprecedented levels of funding for highways and transit
by guaranteeing that transportation revenues actually are spent on transportation needs;
and

WHEREAS, despite the successes of TEA-21, the current level of federal investment has
not kept up with the steadily growing demand for transportation and for improved
maintenance of existing transportation infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, the basic programmatic framework of TEA-21, which consists of a core
highway program, a core transit program, and flexible funding programs designed to allow
localities to determine the transportation capital improvements that best meet their needs,
should be preserved, though some minor changes to certain specific elements of TEA-21
may need to be considered; and

WHEREAS, the broadest definition possible of what constitutes "local match" for New
Starts projects should be established and should include taking into consideration projects
built locally without any New Starts dollars that are part of an integrated system; and

WHEREAS, while the existing transit matching shares should be maintained, those local
communities that step forward with significant local and non-federal resources for their
New Starts projects should be rewarded, in some manner, through the Federal Transit
Administration's (FTA) evaluation process for New Starts projects; and

WHEREAS, FTA's New Starts evaluation process should provide recognition for
communities that make a significant commitment to transit-oriented development and that
practice smart-growth land-use planning principles; and

WHEREAS, Congress should consider reforms to the New Starts Program to ensure that
appropriations are consistent with a project's funding plan contained in its Full Funding
Grant Agreement (FFGA) in order to avoid situations in which a project sponsor has to
incur debt to cover federal funding shortfalls and has to seek appropriations after the
project is completed and in revenue service; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls upon
Congress and the Administration to provide long-term, sustained investment in the nation's
transportation infrastructure that is adequate to meet the significant needs through the
reauthorization of TEA-21,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Conference calls upon Congress and the
Administration to retain the existing, needs-based transit program structure, and refrain
from imposing a state cap on federal transit funding allocations or providing for a state-by-state minimum allocation for transit should be resisted; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Conference urges Congress and the
Administration to establish the highest possible guaranteed spending levels for the federal
transit title as a whole, as well for individual programs within the transit title, including for
the Section 5307 Urbanized Area (UZA) Formula Program; the Section 5309 News Starts,
Fixed Guideway Modernization and Bus/Bus Facilities Programs; and the Jobs
Access/Reverse Commute Program; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Conference urges Congress and the
Administration to give consideration to improving certain aspects of the New Starts
Program, particularly relating to local initiatives designed to enhance the effectiveness of
their projects